Meet Joey McCarty | Solo musician of “Street Desires”

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joey McCarty and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joey, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
To me, taking risks may be one of the most important things in pursuing music – especially nowadays. As a small music creator, I have taken many, many risks which range from changing genres of the music I make, or even signing contracts that will be risky to meet the requirements on. Whichever it may be, I believe that taking risks is a very important part in the industry. Not only can it be very rewarding, but it also teaches you to have a little bit of faith in yourself and to not let anxiety or worry stop you from pursuing what you want to pursue.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Street Desires is my own solo project that I see as a musical journal to track my progress as a person through music and art. Compared to most solo artists, I do lot’s more covers than most – which I personally think shows people which genre of music I am currently focused on. I think that compared to my band, The Switchblades, Street Desires is more of a personal and closer look on me and my art. I like to think of it as more of a free-range sandbox for me to experiment and let loose on anything I may want to create without the worries of making it sound all pretty and polished. It’s just me making what I want to make without a care in the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Spots in the city: There are many different local spots that I personally enjoy out in Riverside. For one, I enjoy going out to Downtown Riverside. There’s lots of little spots there that I enjoy, such as The Hideaway Cafe, The Raincross District, The Garden Room @ RMA, and many, many other spots. Another spot I personally love, is Rae’s Diner in Santa Monica, which I even have a song about titled, “At Rae’s.” Lastly, maybe a not so local spot, but Death Valley is one of the places I personally love to go to for photography, and music ideas. For an odd reason, I find peace and inspiration all the way out in Death Valley.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As for me, I am a heavily influenced person. Which means I like to take bits and pieces from all my inspirations and apply that into my own art. There’s tons of recognition to be given to for the art that I have created. To start, one person I’d like to recognize is Charlie Megira (Gabi Abudraham.) Megira has completely changed the way I see music for the better. Not only that, but he taught many that you can make something out of nothing, which Megira did with his music. From his small home-made studio, and his Eko 500 guitar, he made a world of music which heavily influenced many. Rest in peace Gabi. Another person I’d like to recognize is Frankie Avalon. Despite the difference between my music and Avalon’s, he has had a large impact on my style and my love for music. Lastly, I’d like to recognize all the people who support me throughout my musical journey. Much love to you all.

Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4wY336gFNqzzKn7gdh3MVE?si=2eoHTiUHTQuf6nRsUQwY0w

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetsdesires?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Image Credits
Joey McCarty, Ethan Johnson, Christopher Guzman